


The Ephemeral Rose

by HKGlenstid



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Attempt at Humor, Canon Rewrite, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, I do want Ruby and Weiss to be more connected though, Not Beta Read, Not to sure what pairings will be for time being, Rewrite, Team as Family, Update tags and pairings as I go along with this fic, and I think Blake and Sun's romance was alright, we'll see how I write the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HKGlenstid/pseuds/HKGlenstid
Summary: When aspiring huntress Ruby Rose leaves her hometown of Cliffside to go live with her older sister and uncle in Vale, she expects a fresh start. What she doesn't expect is to attend Beacon Academy early, become a leader; and all the while a dark shadow looms over the city of Vale. A revolution is coming, and Ruby is right at the centre of it. Slight AU/Rewrite.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 24
Kudos: 30





	1. Episode One: The Girl known as Ruby Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. I haven't watched past Volume 3 and have been meaning to start watching it again. This is just a fun AU/rewrite that I felt like doing, so enjoy I suppose XD.

**Episode 1: The girl known as Ruby Rose**

The train whistle sang through the early morning, the sky the barest hint of blue as it just started to rise on the horizon. The sleek 0401 Blanchette Express thundered along the rail tracks, a blur past the snowy winter tops far into the mountain top countryside of Vale.

"She looks so peaceful sleeping like that."

Councillor Merdias didn't say anything to his wife as he glanced up for a split second to see his young daughter sound asleep; head against the window. She had fallen asleep watching the vast wintery landscapes rush by.

"Dear," his wife gave a worried frown at the sheets of paperwork still in his lap, then at the tired black rings around her husband's eyes. "Maybe we shouldn't have gone on this trip. You're swamped with work."

"I'm fine," Merdias waved off her worry. "Vale can survive a week without me, and it's not as if I _haven't_ been working. I promised to make time for Mari, and I intend to keep it."

He reached over, gently leaning Mari away from the cold glass; careful not to wake her. A warm smile graced his lips.

A knock sounded on their carriage door. Sighing heavily, Merdias flicked the lock and opened the door slightly ajar. He can't see the shadowy figure beyond the corridors, still dark from the overnight stay. A pair of red irises peered from beyond, bore into his own.

"Councillor Merdias?"

The voice wasn't unkind. Rough, low, and sombrely quiet with a hint of incredulity hidden in its tone. Merdias doesn't remember if he heard the voice before on any of the train staff or on the guards.

"Yes. What is it?" Merdias snapped in annoyance.

At first, the figure didn't answer. But a low chuckle emerged from the darkness, then a clawed burly hand slammed the door open. The sound awoke Mari from her slumber, but Merdias didn't realise. He was looking up the barrel of a gun and towards its owner; a large hooded man with tattered clothing almost like a beggar or a bandit. Behind, he could finally see other men, neatly dealing with the rest of the train guards.

He swallowed. A nervous eye went to his wife and child before his gaze steadily went back to the hooded man.

"What do you want?"

A smile escaped from the hooded man.

"Sorry for ruining your fun vacation plans Councillor," he chuckled. "From here on out, let's enjoy this vacation together shall we?"

* * *

"… and it's been so long since we last saw each other. Dad has taught me everything I know, though I suppose uncle Qrow popped in here and there to help me when needed. But I know we might have changed a lot since we were kids, so I hope that you don't mind looking after me now."

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Rose let out a deep breath as she finished talking. Knees to chest on the train station seat, her eyes were glued to her companion beside her.

"What do you think Zwei?"

The corgi barked happily, before rolling over onto his back. Ruby sighed, and willing scratched his stomach. "Yeah yeah, I know it needs work. You could at least be more supportive about it, it's not like it's easy you know."

Zwei barked once more, tongue-wagging to the side.

It was the coldest day so far this winter when the clocks struck 6:00 in the morning. The sun was already up and singing this far out in the countryside of the Vale Kingdom. The small town of Cliffside was a quiet one with most of its residents being humble farm folk. Cliffside station was empty aside from Ruby and Zwei and a single station master who stayed in his warm booth; his face buried inside a copy of the latest _Vale Times_.

Ruby lounged back on her seat, peering at the clock pole. Her train was late. She frowned, sifting into the wicker basket beside her to retrieve a letter. She clutched the letter tightly as if it would disappear if it left her grip for a second.

That was when she heard the train whistle sounded within the distance. Ruby reared up, throwing the letter back in and slinging the wicker basket onto her back. "Come on Zwei."

Zwei barked happily, before leaping into the basket, shuffling around until he nested comfortably in its confines. With a bright smile, Ruby walked to the edge of the platform, eagerly waiting for the 0401 Blanchette Express.

Ruby was not expecting for the train to just simply barrel past her. It whistled rudely before continuing on its journey, oblivious to the young girl it just ditched. Said young girl peered once more towards the clock pole to see it was five past six. She grimaced, not wanting to wait another two hours for the next train into the city. With resolute expression, Ruby made up her mind.

"Hang on tight Zwei!"

She took off down the state platform at blinding speeds, leaving behind a trail of rose petals.

The station-master looked up from his newspaper, as the young girl blurred past his booth window. He growled, opening the window to lean out. "Oi! No running on the station platform!"

"Sorry, station master! I'll make it up to you when I get back, I promise!"

Ruby was like a gust of wind, streaming towards the speeding train. Her surroundings were a blur, petals cascading out behind her; her red hooded cloak kicking back like a cape. Zwei stuck his head out of the basket, tongue-wagging as he enjoyed the fast winds. It wasn't long before Ruby reached the caboose of the train, throwing herself unceremoniously over the railing in a winded heap.

She laughed heartedly between gasps, as she looked towards Zwei; smile brimming on her face.

"We did it huh," she looked towards Zwei; her chest heaving up and down gasping for air. She grinned, as if in disbelief. "We're really going to Vale."

As Cliffside station grew smaller and smaller within the distance, Ruby dropped her smile. It was the first time she had ever been away from her home town. While it excited her, it was still an unfamiliar feel to it. Beside her, Zwei whined, trotting forward to give a few comforting licks to Ruby's fingers.

"I'm fine Zwei," she said, though whether it was to reassure herself or Zwei, she didn't know. She gently nuzzled the corgi's head. "I won't be lonely. I'll have Yang with me. Uncle Qrow as well."

A bark was Zwei's response.

"Yeah. I have you too."

* * *

The blue holographic screen flickered to life in front of Councillor Meridias. He grimaced, looking up at the hijacker out of the corner of his eye.

"Something to say?"

Merdias shook his head. "No. I just don't understand what you think you'll get from this. The Council won't listen to your demands."

"They'll listen if they want your family and everyone on board this train unharmed."

Merdias swallowed. It didn't help that guns were pointed at him and his family. Right now he counted four men in his first-class carriage, the fifth man had disappeared back into the corridor leading to the economy class carriages. Were there more than just the five?

"Councillor? If you will please."

Merdias was tempted to snort at the sudden politeness of his captor but decided heavily against it. There was no use in provoking them in this situation, not with many people's lives on the line.

He licked his lips nervously as he stared at the holographic screen; his captor's holographic scroll.

"I, am Councillor Merdias Phrygia, member of the Governing Council of the Kingdom of Vale. Right now I am hostage, along with my family and countless others aboard the 0401 Blanchette Express returning to the capital city of Vale."

Merdias stared at his captor grimly. "Their demands are simple. The release of their former boss Roman Torchwick from Grimlock. They will be awaiting an answer before noon."

With a smile, the hijacker switched off the screen. "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

Once more, Merdias forced down the urge to scoff. Instead, he swallowed nervously, his gaze, serious and unwavering. "I've been in similar situations before. This won't end well for you."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you Councillor. My men have taken over this train completely, the guards, taken care off, and with civilians under my mercy. We're out in the Vale mountain range, too far out for Vale warships and hours away from any meaningful backup. So keep up your theatrics if you want, because whether you like it or not; this situation will only end one of two ways. I get what I want, or you won't live to see it."

* * *

Ruby yawned unceremoniously, stretching outward to the point where she felt that her back might give out. She entered into the cargo hold, slipping past the wares, careful not to break anything.

Opening the carriage doors, Ruby didn't know what to expect. But seeing a whole bunch of people on the floor with hands over their head, and a guy with a gun was not something she had envisioned.

"Oi! Who the hell are you? Get in here and get on the ground now!" the man said, aiming his gun at her.

Ruby blinked. "Uh… what?"

"I said, on the ground! Now!" the man stormed towards her.

The young girl looked towards the scared civilians peering up at her. Then back at the gunman. "Is this a robbery?"

"This is a hostage situation!"

Then it clicked. "Ohhhhh."

A split second later, and the man's face was embedded into the metal door of the train carriage. Ruby dusted off her hands, as she looked at the civilians rise from the floor.

"Okay, I uh. I have no idea what's going on, so can someone please tell me?"

* * *

"There's at least a dozen of them that boarded. After hearing that you took out one of their own, they might retaliate!"

Ruby took a step back from the domineering plump man. No one else on the carriage seemed to outwardly agree with his sentiment, but then again, Ruby did just potentially save their lives from an ugly situation.

"Are you listening to me girl? You might have just saved us right now! But your reckless actions have put us in even more danger!"

"Oi, that's enough," another civilian piped up. "At least thank her for saving your useless hide old man."

" _Saving._ Are you daft? Did you not listen to anything I just said! If the other hijackers hear about this, what's to stop them from attacking other people!"

"Stop!" Ruby yelled.

The train carriage goes silent. Ruby's shoulder sagged with weight as she takes in the situation. What a mess she has found herself in, and on her first day out of town too.

"Look, I'll try and do something, alright," Ruby said, ignoring the snort that followed. She stood upright with fake confidence, but right now she knew she was currently the only person that could change this situation around. With firm determination on her face, she looked at everyone. "I'll figure something out. Until then, barricade the door behind me and just… everyone keep calm, okay?"

No one said anything, as Ruby confidently walked towards the end of the carriage. She opened the door, and with one final look closed it behind her. She crossed the connecting piece of the train and into the next carriage which was empty. Almost immediately her legs gave way.

"What did I get myself into," she whined.

Behind her, Zwei popped out of the wicker basket. He circled around and nudged his head gently into Ruby. She smiled, nuzzling his neck gently as she took in a deep breath.

"There are innocent people in danger here. But I don't know what to… no, I can't do that now. Like dad always said, focus on what you do know. Focus on only that."

So what _did_ Ruby know?

The people she saved had said there were at least a dozen potential hijackers, armed and with hostages. Train driver in the front. The middle of the carriages is where the train guards are stationed, and it is her best bet to make her way there carefully while freeing whoever she can.

There was a radio on the hijacker she took out, so it was safe to assume that the rest also had radios. So if she wasn't careful, they can alert the rest of their friends. There is also an emergency button in each carriage at the end of the room that will place the train on lockdown. The robbers won't use it as they'll need to be able to manoeuvre from carriage to carriage.

As for weapons…

Ruby reached behind her at her Crescent Rose, neatly folded and tucked away behind her. It was her pride and joy, spending over a year to fully complete it in its entirety. However it was loud and over the top. She can't use it if she was trying to draw less attention to herself.

Ruby took in a deep breath and rose to her feet. Her eyes were filled with determination. She could do this. She _had_ to do this. With this in mind, she stalked towards the end of the carriage and started initiating her plan.

* * *

The economy classed carriage was full. To make sure the least amount of people were used to oversee hostages, they funnelled people from multiple carriages into just the one.

The hijacker was leaning on the wall, strapped rifle in hand as he glared at everyone in the room. They were all on the ground, squirming, and he found it quite funny. The radio on his vest fizzled.

" _Adrian. There's no response coming from Isaac. Go check the back carriages."_

 _"_ Sheesh. He's probably taking a leak or something."

" _Now."_

Adrian rolled his eyes. He briefly wondered if he could get away with not doing it. But he decided against it.

"Everyone stay here, imma head out for a bit," he grumbled, making his way to the other side of the carriage. "If I find anyone tried to escape… well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you, fine folks, what would happen."

Cockily he stormed out, whistling a cheery tune. He never even got a second when Ruby descended from the ceiling above.

* * *

The carriage door opened. The two hijackers looked up curiously at the opened door. The train guards, five in all beaten and bruised, also looked up in confusion. Then the door closed. A few seconds later, it opened once more.

"The hell? Is it bugging or something?"

"Dunno. It wouldn't be one of us playing a prank right?"

"Yah must be joking. It's most definitely bugged."

The hijacker shrugged. The door closed once more. Then it opened again. This went on for some time, till one of the hijackers finally couldn't take it anymore. He stormed on over, only to reach the door and for a boot to suddenly crash into his face.

He stumbled back, but Ruby didn't let him recover. She dashed forward, throwing a wild haymaker into the hijackers face. Down he went like a sack. His partner saw this, raising his rifle to take aim. A shot rang out, and in a flicker of red petals, Ruby ducked to the side just in time, before rushing over to take out the second hijacker. She then released the ropes around the guards.

"Bit young for a huntress aren't you?" one of the guards asked teasingly, relief filled his face. But when he saw Ruby frown in confusion, he clarified, "Only ever seen hunters move that fast."

Ruby blinked. "Huh? Oh... no, I'm… in training? Homeschooled? Something like that I guess?"

"I won't pry," the man chuckled. "You saved our hides after all."

He looked towards his fellow injured train guards. They each retrieved their respective rifles, straightening out their blue uniforms. "I'm assuming the back carriages have been taken care of?"

"Yup," Ruby said, preening with a smile. "All cleared."

"Good. We need all the help we can get forward. Councillor Merdias is their primary hostage target, and his safety is our upmost priority."

"Who?" Ruby asked.

The guard blinked. "Where are you from kid?"

"Cliffside."

"Oh. Country girl huh? Just… think of him as a really important person that needs to remain unharmed."

Ruby nodded in understanding. In reality, she didn't.

And then the hijacker's radio fizzled to life.

_"What was that gunfire?"_

Silence. An uneasy silence washed over those in the room, and Ruby found herself swallowing nervously.

" _Hello? Padro, Ethan, do you hear me?"_

Ruby panicked, and quickly, dived for the radio. She slowly picked it up, her hand shaking just ever so slightly. Bringing her hood over her mouth, she coughed very loudly.

"Everything is fine," she wheezed, purposely lowering her voice. "Just a misfire… how are you?"

Once again the room was filled with an uneasy silence. The only sound was the active radio fizzing loudly. Ruby's heart pounded heavily in her chest as she closed her eyes and silently prayed that she didn't screw up.

" _…Who is this?"_

Ruby's heart fell.

" _I repeat, who is this?"_

A reassuring hand found itself on her shoulder, as the guard from before gently beckoned for the radio. Ruby willingly handed it over.

"Antilles. I'm one of the train guards you captured in your hijack. We have secured the back carriages, and it's only a matter of time before we come for you."

" _… I see."_

Antilles frowned. "You don't sound surprised."

" _Oh no, I assure you I am quite surprised. Quite surprised that for a clean cut man such as yourself, you're an awfully good liar… now who was it that freed those carriages? Because I can say with complete certainty that it wasn't your boys."_

"Well. It was."

" _Again. I don't believe you for a single second. That girl from before, the one that laughably tried to pass herself off as one of my colleagues. It was her, wasn't it? She an aura user? Perhaps even a huntress?"_

"You're getting away from the subject. Let's negotiate. Your friends, for the Councillor and his family."

_"Why would I want my useless 'friends'? I'll give you a better deal. You take one step into the train carriage, and I'll shoot the councillor's daughter dead."_

Antilles and Ruby paled.

"You can't!" Ruby yelled.

" _Ah, there you are. So you were listening in as well. Well, my deal stays the same. Until either my boss Roman Torchwick goes free, or till I'm dead; those are my terms. One step in here and the little girl dies."_

The radio fizzled out. And the room was left in deathly silence.

* * *

"Problem with your brilliant plan?" Merdias asked. Though his tone was neutral, his words were basically condescending.

The hooded hijacker took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He calmed himself down as he ignored the obvious bait. He turned to the rest of his men stationed in the expensive-looking carriage.

"Keep an eye out for any movement. If anyone comes, shoot them."

"Zeke—"

"Don't," he interrupted, pointing a single finger at the man. "They will most definitely try and come for the Councillor, and now that we know they have an aura user on their side, it gets worse. Any word from the council about releasing the boss?"

"None."

Merdias snorted. "I told you, the council won't release—"

BANG!

It takes a while for the pain to process fully. The councillor cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, clutching his leg. His wife is by his side, asking if he is alright. His daughter looking more scared by the second.

"For your family's sake," Zeke said. "You better hope they release him."

* * *

Ruby paced back and forth across the room, lost in thought. The other guards also seemed lost as they all slouched down in the lounge chairs; the guard recreational and kitchen area was a momentary place of rest.

The young girl sighed heavily, before nearing tearing out her hair from frustration. "There has to be something we can do. There has to be."

"Take it easy kid," Antilles said.

"But there are people in trouble!"

"And yelling about it won't stop anything."

Ruby stopped. For a brief few seconds, Antilles was worried she might go into a bigger rant. To his relief, he watched as the young girl chose one of the couches and sunken heavily into it, arm over her eyes. Her corgi too, Zwei was it? The cute bugger trotted happily to his owner, oblivious to the situation at hand.

"Not now Zwei."

Zwei yipped in response. Then proceed to lick his owner's fingers. Despite not saying anything, Ruby responded by gently caressing the corgi's small head. The slow strokes in a steady rhythm, as if she were lost in thought.

Antilles smiled at the sight, leaning on the benchtop. "So tell me about yourself kid."

Ruby blinked, removing her arm from her face. "Huh?"

"Thought we could pass the time until something happens. Till either an opportunity or if someone comes up with an idea."

Ruby thought for a bit. "I… suppose?"

"Well. Give it time. Answers don't come immediately most of the time."

"Ergh," Ruby nearly blanched. "You sound like my dad."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It is when you've been living with him your whole life."

Antilles chuckled warmly. "I'll take that as a compliment then. So how about you then? Why is a country girl like you, an aura user at that, leaving your home town? Wanting to start a new life in Vale?"

"Something like that," Ruby shrugged. "Dad got recalled to work, my sister and uncle live in Vale. So I have to live somewhere."

"What about your mother?"

Ruby doesn't say anything at first. The sunlight streaming through the window blinds caught in her eyes. She let out a quiet sigh.

"She's not around anymore," she barely whispered.

Antilles paused. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago, and I gotten over it."

Antilles doesn't pry, but judging by the girl's reaction, he very much doubted that. No one in the room said anything, the only sound was the steady run of the train on track. Suddenly the whistle sounded, signalling that they were coming to the next stop already, but everyone knew that it wouldn't be stopping.

Ruby sat up from the couch, eyes glued to the ceiling. Antilles raised a curious eyebrow at the sudden movement. "What is it?"

It took a few seconds, as Ruby tapped her knee in thought. Her eyes were concentrating and the smile had left her face. "I think I got an idea."

* * *

Zeke sat, drenched over his seat, rifle in hand. He watched as the rest of his men passed the time with cards that they stole from the souvenir station. His eyes move left and trained on the councillor and his family. They have remained mostly silent since his outburst. If he had known that, he would have shot the councillor from the get-go.

But then there was something. His nose twitched, as a foreign smell filled his head. Almost perfume like… was it the councillor's wife? No. It was completely different, this was…roses?

He threw back his hood, letting his furred ears twitched as he listened closely. His men cheered as they play another round of poker. The councillors daughter sniffling in fear, her mother doing her best to assure her that everything was fine. The wheels of the train steadily running. And the faintest sound of light footsteps sneaking from above.

Zeke shot up from his chair and raised the rifle to the ceiling and started firing. His target must have heard him because they too started running loudly across the roof. His target makes it across the carriage roof and left, so he stopped. Zeke turned to one of his men.

"Go up and check what that was."

* * *

"Oww," Ruby moaned as she stumbled to the next roof. She immediately sat down, hugging her foot. While her aura mostly protected her from physical harm, it doesn't stop the sting of pain coming through. That and these were her only pair of shoes. Ruby slipped off a boot and threw it off the train.

She was by herself on top of the train, having just run across the rooftops towards to get to the front. At first, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to find which carriage the councillor was in, but if that shot was anything to go by, she was confident that it was that carriage. But right now, her plan required her to move to the front of the train.

She rose to her feet, the harsh cold winds ripped at her; snow battering at her constantly. Ruby was about to continue running when she heard the sound of a gun being fired behind her.

And pain exploded in the back of her head.

* * *

"Got her Zeke. Easy as cake."

Zeke frowned in confusion. "What happened exactly?"

"I went up, shot the kid in the back of the head and she fell off," The man shrugged. "Simple as that."

Had Zeke been wrong? He was sure the girl was an aura user. Maybe she never was and the men in the back carriages were just careless. He shrugged and continued onwards.

Meanwhile, further up ahead and in-between two carriages, Ruby stumbled through the door. A red forcefield flickered around her before slowly dissipating. She clutched at the back of her head which was still ringing from the impact she just suffered. Before, she was doing this because it was the right thing to do. But now, she was tempted to seek revenge for petty's sake.

Ruby grumbled as she continued through the carriages towards the front.

* * *

A single guard remained in the driving station, gun aimed directly at the train driver at all times. He yawned, bored out of his living mind. It was the last thing he saw as he felt something struck his head.

Ruby calmly walked up to the old trainer-driver, checking him for injuries. "Are you alright?"

"I'm feeling peachy without a gun on my back. How about you kid?"

Ruby grinned in response. "I'm feeling peachy as well. Though I do need your help with something. When I give the signal, I need you to use the brakes and stop the train."

With that, she flickered out of the room.

"What signal?" the train driver called back.

"You won't miss it!"

* * *

It was nearing noon now. Zeke was impatiently tapping his foot on the floor. Still no response from the council. This was getting ridiculous, there was no way they were willing to let a member of the governing council of Vale die!

He growled.

And the radio on his vest fizzled to life once more.

" _Hello? Anyone there?"_

The young girl from before. She must have taken one of his radios. _And_ she was still alive proving Zeke's theory of her being an aura user. Then his eyes widened in realisation. What if when she freed the carriages in the back, the guards managed to send a message to the council about the situation? Would they be willing to place their faith on a young aura user they know nothing about?

"What do you want?" he growled, thoroughly ticked off at this point in time. "I thought I already said my terms. It was you that scampered over on the roof, wasn't it? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill off the councillors daughter?"

He could hear an audible swallow from the other side. Good. He was getting somewhere.

_"I just wanted to make sure that you are really doing this."_

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

" _I'm just wanted to ask if this is what you really want to do. You're hurting innocent people, and from the sounds of it, you're not even doing it for yourself. So I'm asking you, to reconsider and we can go about as nothing happened."_

Zeke's hand trembled. Everyone in the room looked at him worryingly as if he were a bomb ready to explode.

"I refuse," he growled into the radio. "You're telling me to go about as if nothing has happened. You're telling me to go live about my life as if it was as easy as that?"

Zeke laughed, but it had no soul in it. He bared his fangs. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't remember the suffering of _my_ people. You, _insult_ me with your words girl. So I _ask of you._ Do. Your. Worst."

Radio static was his answer. Then a few seconds later, a soft sigh came from the other end.

" _If that's how it has to be. Then… I'm sorry."_

Suddenly an alarm siren starts ringing. The doors of the carriage lock themselves, as barricade shutters start closing down on the walls. The emergency lockdown button. But through it all, the loud ringing hurts Zeke's sensitive ears.

He cried out as he fell to his knees. Around him, the rest of his men start panicking, but the councillor and his family remain seated, hugging each other as they have no idea what is about to happen.

And then they feel the train lurch. To them, and to every passenger that had been forewarned by the train's guard prior, they clung to their seats in a desperate reaction to the sudden stop. But the hijackers, they fell. Most lost their footing and plummeted to the floor, some lost their weapons in the mad scramble as they were flung towards the wall from the sudden stop.

Once the train came to a complete halt, the lockdown doors opened, overrode by the train guards as all five swarmed in, weapons trained on the remaining hijackers. On the other side of the room, Ruby Rose herself stalked towards the downed Zeke, a serious expression adorned on her face. In her hand, a weapon benefitting of a huntress, folding out in a series of mechanical whirrs. It transformed fully into a scythe, the very blade of death itself hung just around Zeke's neck.

Hands still clutched to his still ringing ears, he looked up almost pathetically with tears in his eye at the mercy of the young girl that stood before him. Though she didn't gloat. She didn't even look angry even. She couldn't help but stare at him with eyes of pity. And somehow, that felt even more humiliating.

* * *

The sun was just starting to set when the train pulled up into Vale station, police sirens and lights swarming the place. Military personnel roamed and blocked the streets. They almost immediately escorted the councillor and his family out of there, towards the nearest hospital for his leg.

Ruby felt her legs collapsed beneath her as she sat on the stone steps, overwhelmed by the countless questions from the officers at the scene. With Zwei warmly hugged to her chest, she took in a deep breath of the night air of the capital city of Vale. She honestly didn't know what to expect of the capital city of one of the four kingdoms. The letters she received back from Yang did little to supplement her imagination on the city, and now that she was finally here…

The rows of lights coming from each district were like the stars in the sky. Despite it being far past dinner time, the roads still bore with life and movement and she had never seen so many people in one place before. She quickly imagined what it would have looked like during the day. Ruby could _still_ hear the chatter of people going about their nights as if it were normal to do so.

A soft breeze caressed by her, as she looked up to the statued fountain in front of the Vale city train station. It was of a proud man, staff in hand. A hunter from the looks of it.

"Ruby Rose, I take it?"

Ruby reared up, hand falling to her weapon at the sudden presence behind her. An old man stood before her, dressed in a neat green suit, a lighter green scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. A cane held in hand as he peered through his glasses with a nonchalant gaze at Ruby's action.

The girl sheepishly sheathed her weapon with a clear of her throat. Zwei on the other hand popped out from her embrace and trotted over to the old man as if he were an old friend. The man nodded in response, a small smile on his lips.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Ruby blinked, not sure what to say. The man didn't wait for a response either way and simply sat down, putting down a plate of cookies (when was he holding those?) between Ruby and himself.

"I heard you like chocolate chipped cookies. Feel free to have some."

"I don't think I should be taking anything from someone I don't even know," Ruby finally found her voice, frowning in displeasure.

The man didn't seem to take it to heart. He shrugged, grabbing a cookie for himself. He bit into it. "I heard about your rescue of Councillor Merdias. I must say your father must have underplayed your abilities in his letters to me."

Ruby blinked. "My father?"

"Taiyang is a close associate of mine. I believe he said you have a letter for me as well."

Ruby's eyes widened in shock and realisation. The man continued to casually nibble on the cookie in hand. The young girl quickly sifted through her basket, retrieving the letter and handing it over.

"Thank you," the man said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe at his hands before retrieving the latter. He tore it open and begun to read it quickly.

"So… you're Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked cautiously. "Headmaster of Beacon Academy?"

"I am," Ozpin's eyes didn't leave the letter. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth. "By any chance did you read what was in your father's letter?"

Ruby shook her head.

Ozpin smiled as if he knew a joke that she didn't. Ruby didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"Hmm… your eyes."

"Yes?" Ruby wasn't sure where this was going.

"They are silver aren't they?"

Ruby blinked. "Yes… and?"

"Oh, nothing. Just lost in my own thoughts, don't mind me," he tucked the letter into his jacket, before standing. Ozpin dusted off his jacket. "Tell me, Ruby Rose, how would you like to study at my school?"

"What?" Ruby exclaimed. Was he being serious? "But I thought I had to be seventeen to attend Beacon?"

"And who made that rule?"

"The… head… master?"

Ozpin raised a questioning eyebrow. Ruby wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. Zwei rolled about on the ground happily unaware of what was taking place.

"Of course, I can't simply just invite you to join. You're still going to have to earn it," Ozpin warned. He tilted his head. "But your father assures me of his confidence in your skills and determination. So I look forward to seeing you in future."

He gave a final smile before walking off. Ruby could only watch in confusion at what transpired. But after what seemed like hours, her stomach growled. She still had yet to eat dinner… and the plate of cookies was still next to her. Ruby quickly went through the constant nagging of her father about the importance of eating a healthy meal… but surely one time wouldn't hurt anyone right?

And so Ruby sat there in front of the Vale train station steps, a plate of cookies in hand and wondering what the future would have in store for her.


	2. Episode 2: The First Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Ruby encounters her future friends and the Beacon exams start.

**Episode Two: The First Step**

Beacon Academy stood proudly amongst the first sign of falling snow. The grand castle-like academy stood 150 metres towards the sky, a pillar of strength in all of Vale. Surrounded by an inward lake, and beautiful forestry greenery. Few sights could be compared to it.

And Ruby was having a hard time processing the actual size of it.

"Your jaw might fall off if you're not careful there."

Yang Xiao Long slipped an arm around her sister protectively, grin on her face as she too took in the sights. "Though I suppose it doesn't match the view in the CBD."

Ruby relaxed, a big smile lit up her face; her eyes starry as she pointed towards the other students present. "Oh my gosh Yang, look, that kid's got a collapsible staff, a-and that girl, I'm pretty sure that's a hyperbolic chambering system on the handle! I'm in heaven!"

The younger of the two sisters started to run towards said weapons to give them a good ole hug. Yang reached out and snagged her sister's hood, drawing her back to her side.

"Easy there sis, they're just weapons," the blonde grinned and shook her head at her sister's antics.

"Just weapons?" Ruby exclaimed, spinning around to face her sister. "They're an extension of ourselves, our partner in the line of duty. They're a living, breathing, part of us Yang and I… I… I gotta take a closer look!"

She tried to run off again, and once more got pulled back by Yang, a bit more roughly this time. "Find the auditorium first, _then_ you can go look at other people's weapons."

Ruby pouted. "You're no fun."

Yang reared back in fake shock. "You wound me. Here I thought you would be happy!"

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose from behind her, stroking it gently. The cooling metal touch responded to her soul. A soft smile graced her lips. "Of course I'm happy Yang. It's just… it's like… meeting new people… but better!"

Yang ruffled her sisters head. "Well, isn't this a good opportunity to make new friends of your own?"

Ruby blinked. "But… why would I need friends if I have you?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Yang thought for a bit, tapping her chin. She then sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ruby. Listen. What if you weren't joining Beacon together with me?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What if… you joined Beacon two years later, and you didn't have me to help you out. What then?"

"Uh… well…" Ruby's voice dies off. She tapped her fingers nervously, unable to think of an answer.

"You see, that's my point," Yang placed a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I can't always be your only friend sis. Some point in time, you have to make this leap of faith. To have friends that have your back. That you trust more than anything in the world. Even more than me…"

Ruby didn't say anything. She could see where her sister was coming from... but it had been almost five years since she last saw Yang in person. Was she being too selfish?

"...and that is why I'm letting you get lost."

Yang said the last sentence very quickly that it nearly passed over her sister's head.

Ruby blinked.

"What?"

In a blink of an eye, Yang snatched their orientation map and with her luggage left behind a trail of smoke towards the academy main hall. "Don't worry! I'll come find you before the opening speech!"

"Wait, Yang! You can't leave me here! Where's the auditorium?" Ruby yelled. She paused for a second as a thought comes to mind. An awkward silence passed by, as the young girl lets out a heavy sigh.

"I have no idea what I'm doing do I?"

With another reluctant sigh, Ruby accepted her fate to the predicament she was in, and curled up into a ball next to the giant fountain of the entrance.

"Friends that have your back," Ruby grumbled. "I thought you would have mine…"

A soft breeze washed by, sifting through the young girl's dark hair. It's comforting, but not as much as Zwei or Yang's presence.

"Hey, are you alright down there?" a kind voice asked.

A shadow loomed over her. Ruby looked up to see a grinning boy with sunshine hair. He had a short-sleeved hoodie and blue jeans on, white armoured patches around his chest and shoulders protectively.

He offered a hand to the downed girl. "Hey, I'm Jaune."

"… Ruby."

Ruby accepted the outstretched hand.

* * *

The inner ground of Beacon Academy was in a single word, peaceful. Scenic trees lined the fields of dancing grass, while the water streams ran soothingly. Ruby and Jaune passed over a marble arc, walking towards the central building.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on," Jaune said defensively. "One in three people suffer from motion sickness, and I just happen to be one of them."

"Yeah, well, I've never had that problem. I can't imagine having it at all," Ruby answered snickering.

They walk past a group of other students, Ruby eyeing their weapons respectfully, stars in her eyes. An idea struck in her head as she turned back to face Jaune.

"So, anything cool about your sword?" she asked, pointing towards the sword currently sheathed at the boy's waist. "Like, does it use any kind of dust? Does it get bigger? Oh! I once saw this hypersonic one that vibrates to add in more power in its slices. Does it do that too?!"

"Uh, well…" Jaune rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He drew his sword and held it out. "It's a… well, it's a sword."

"And?!"

"And well… my sheath expands into a shield," he grabbed his sheath and expanded it into a kite shield.

"Uh huh! So what do they do? What do they do?"

"… that's it," Jaune admitted, shrinking his shield back into a sheath, sliding the sword back in. He tucked it back by his waist.

"Oh… I uh… right," Ruby looked down heartened.

"Sooo… what do you have?"

Ruby considered telling Jaune as she peered at her compacted weapon, wondering if it's a good idea to show it. An eager look in Jaune's eyes caused her to sigh as she grabbed her weapon out and expanded it into its rifle form.

"Woah, a sniper rifle," Jaune said, impressed.

"Customisable too," Ruby beaming with pride as the boy's reaction. "Five round chamber, steam compressor, _and_ a hyperbolic drive to empower the speed that the bullet travels. Oh oh, And! To top it off…"

Ruby extended it into its scythe form, burying its tip into the concrete ground. She was practically radiating with pride right now.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?!" Jaune exclaimed in amazement. "That's so cool."

Ruby giggled. "Yeah, Crescent Rose is my partner and she is the best… though I guess, I _might_ have gone a little overboard when designing her—"

"Wait. You _made_ that?"

"Well yeah… didn't you make yours?"

Jaune shook his head. "I um… it was my grandfathers. He fought during The Great War. So it's pretty much a hand-me-down."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom," Ruby corrected.

Jaune nervously rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "I guess…"

"Hey, cheer up," Ruby said, playfully punching the boy's shoulder. "I still think it's cool. Might be a little old fashioned, but hey, it's still working right now, even after seeing war. You should wield her with pride."

Jaune doesn't know what to say. He withdrew his blade, its metal glint reflected the sunlight. His blue eyes look over his reflection on the blade; soft and hopeful.

"I guess so," he finally said.

"That's the spirit! Also, that reminds me. Why did you reach out to talk to me back at the fountain?"

Jaune stopped. "Why not?"

Ruby shrugged. "I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't have been so open to a stranger. It was surprising… but I suppose it was kinda refreshing as well."

Jaune paused to think for a bit, his gaze going towards the blue sky. "You looked like you needed someone to talk to. I couldn't just walk away from that… that and because my mom would never let me hear the end of it. She never lets me forget that _'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'_."

"Oh god. She sounds like my sister," Ruby snorted.

Jaune laughed at that and Ruby pouted. But it didn't take long for the infectious laugh to pass on to the young girl.

The duo then came to a complete stop under the shade of a dead end. Ruby blinked. Jaune blinked.

"So... where are we going?" Ruby asked.

Jaune shrugged. "I don't know, I was following you."

"I was following you. My sister took my map."

"I dropped mine out the window on the airship…"

"Oh."

* * *

Weiss Schnee was many things. Talented was just one of many ways to describe her; wealthy was the most common.

"I expect the rest of my luggage to be fully transported from the mansion by the end of tomorrow," the petite white-haired girl stated as she slipped out of the luxury limousine; heels tapped lightly onto the concrete tiled floor.

Behind her, the servants scampered with the bags and suitcases already piled in the car. One of them, a panicked look in her eye.

"But miss, you still have to pass the exams first—"

"Do you think I'll fail?" Weiss asked calmly.

Weiss swivelled around on the spot, rising to her full height and with a hand on her hip.

"W-Well, uh… that's not to say—"

"It's a simple yes or no question," the Schnee heiress crossed her arms. Her icy stare bore into the servants poor mind.

"T-Then no."

"Then I _don't_ see the problem. It'll be a simple test of skill, and I hardly doubt I'll be easily matched in any category. I _am_ a Schnee after all. So everyone, go on. Hop to it."

There was a collective murmur of 'yes miss' from her few servants. Weiss raised her hand and pointed at the servant that had spoken out against her.

"Not you though. Pack up your things, you're heading back to Atlas."

The woman's jaw tightened. "B-But, I'm here to serve you."

"Not anymore, you're fired. Everyone else, find the best dorm room in the academy and secure it for me if you will."

Weiss turned back around and sauntered off, an air of confidence in her stride as she began her path towards becoming a huntress.

Another servant appeared by her side, map in hand. "Miss. Your map."

Weiss nodded, gently plucking it from the woman's hands. She looked for the auditorium, already they were nearing the 9 o'clock start; and she did _not_ want to be late.

"Miss, if you wait a couple of minutes, we can escort you—"

"I don't need one," the Schnee heiress snapped. "I'm an adult, and I _can_ make my own way there, thank you very much. Just do as you're told."

And with that, she marched off down the path towards Beacon Academy. Once she was out of earshot of her servants, she let out a quiet sigh, bringing her delicate fingers to her temple. This was completely ridiculous and over the top.

She made her way through the arriving crowds of aspiring hunters and huntresses; the odd glance or whisper thrown her way was completely ignored. Born into the Schnee family, it was common for the spotlight to be on her at all times, and she was not having it here.

"If you all have nothing better to do than stare at your superiors," she called out to the small crowd in the courtyard. "I advise you to focus on improving yourself rather than wasting your time gossiping."

There was a murmur amongst the onlookers before they slowly dispersed under the Weiss Schnees glare. Sure, she was petite in stature, shorter than the average girl her age; but the icy stare she emitted was enough to send chills down one's spine. It wasn't long before it was quiet and she was alone in the courtyard.

The Schnee heiress soaked in the ambient silence; closing her eyes. She felt the wind caress her pale skin, sift through her hair. The peaceful bliss of freedom.

"Hurry up Jaune! We're gonna be lat—OOF."

Ruby Rose wasn't watching where she was going as she barrelled into the unsuspecting Weiss Schnee. Both girls fell to the ground in a chaotic mess of limbs.

"Get off me you idiot!" Weiss screeched.

Ruby quickly untangled herself, zipping to her feet in an embarrassed and sheepish smile. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"Well that much was obvious," Weiss fumed. She started to rise from the ground, but the young dark-haired girl offered her hand in support. The Schnee heiress eyes narrowed dangerously, before smacking it away.

Ruby still had a smile on her face as she brought her hand back to her side. "Sorry about that. Hopefully you're not hurt?"

Weiss rose to her feet, dusting her expensive white dress off. "What do you take me for? I'm not made of glass."

"N-No, but uh… sorry."

"Do you make it a habit of constantly apologising?"

"No, I uh… sor—"

Weiss glared, and Ruby clamped her mouth shut.

The Schnee is thin and graceful, like one you would expect of a professional dancer. Each step is poised and screams elegance. Her long snow-white hair is tied into a ponytail trailing down her back, matching the rest of her white clothing. Her skin is also just as white, even whiter than anything Ruby has seen before; perfectly untainted and flawless. For a second, Ruby could have sworn she was a ghost of some sort if it were not for the gleaming silver rapier hanging by the girl's waist.

And also because ghosts don't appear during the day, even she knew that.

"Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

Ruby blinked at the sudden question. Weiss did not appear impressed as she looked the younger girl up and down with a critical eye.

"Well, I-I… might have technically… skipped two years?"

"Skipped?" the girl asked, for a split second looking impressed. But then it disappears almost as quickly, back to the marring frown from before. "You?"

Ruby nervously nodded. She doesn't know what to expect of the white-haired girl, but bursting into a fit of laughter was not one of them.

"What's so funny?" Ruby demanded, cheeks red and trying to appear taller.

"Nothing, nothing," Weiss answered between giggles. "B-But you? Really? How much did you spend to bribe your way in?"

"Bribe!? I didn't bribe anyone! We haven't even done the exams yet!"

Ruby felt a hint of annoyance grow within the pits of her stomach. Despite her insecurities, there was one thing that Ruby didn't enjoy being belittled about. It was her skill as a huntress. Not after all the years, she had trained with her father and uncle; and especially not because some pretty little princess decided to laugh in her face.

Seeing the scuffle, Jaune walked up to Ruby, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "Woah now, take it easy."

"How can I take it easy when I'm being mocked?"

"It's alright. Calm down," Jaune tried to pull back Ruby to no avail.

"Are you losing your temper after being mocked a bit?" Weiss sneered, her opinion of Ruby lowering even further now. "You're even more of a child than I thought. You should be at home with your mother if you can't even handle a simple joke."

In a split second, Ruby drew her weapon, extending it to its full scythe form before slamming the tip into the ground in a threatening manner. She eyes narrowed.

"Take that back," Ruby bared her teeth.

The white-haired girl slowly stopped laughing, amusement in her eye at the display of Ruby's weapon. Weiss confidently lowered her hand to the handle of her rapier, though doesn't draw it, waiting for the smaller girl to make her move first.

A gentle breeze blew by, and neither girl made the first move.

And a polite cough interrupted both of them.

"Unsupervised fighting is prohibited on academy grounds according to section 4.2 of the Beacon diary," a soft voice spoke up.

All three teenagers turn to look at the newcomer. It was a girl just about their age. She stood taller than both girls, long black hair swaying in the wind with a single bowtie on top. A white undershirt is worn over a black coat tailed vest, with white shorts. But what stood out to Ruby the most is the piercing golden eyes, like a predator watching over prey.

A short blade rested on her back, a book is held within her hand. Her face is expressionless, as she eyed the two girls.

Weiss lets go of her blade handle with a 'hmph', crossing her arms. "I wasn't the one that started this tirade."

Ruby retracted her scythe and folded it up. "Hey, you were the one that started this _princess._ "

"Heiress actually," the black-haired girl corrected. "Weiss Schnee, second eldest daughter and heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss smiled smugly, satisfaction evident in her eyes. "At least _someone_ recognises me."

"With controversial labour forces and other questionable immoral business practices."

Ruby snorted while Weiss looked utterly abashed with her jaw dropped. "Wha- How dare- The nerve of… Ugh!"

Not wanting to stay to be humiliated anymore, she spun around and stormed off.

"I guess I'm not the only one having a rough day," Ruby said. "So what's your…"

Ruby's voice trailed off as she realised the other girl had already disappeared.

"If you're talking about that girl, she walked off just then," Jaune said with a shake of his head.

With a tiresome groan, the young girl collapsed back on the ground, needing to sit down. "Is interacting with people always this tiresome?"

"Not all the time," Jaune laughed, offering his hand once more. "But one person is all it takes to ruin your day. You just gotta not let it get to you."

Ruby nodded, accepting the help up.

"Welcome to Beacon, am I right?" Jaune joked.

Ruby laughed at that, shaking her head solemnly.

A welcome indeed.

* * *

The dawn of the afternoon arose eastward within the Emerald Forest. A vast landscape of lush green as far as the eye could see. A gentle winter breeze ran by, sending a chilling touch to the core. Fitting, as the very forest itself, is filled with the creatures of Grimm.

From the clifftop overseeing the forest, Professor Ozpin could feel the darkness radiating from within. Eyes closed, finger tapping steadily on his cane.

"Everything has been set and readied," the hologram clipped out as Glynda Goodwitch moved beside him. "The first ships should be arriving within a couple of minutes."

She was a tall governess like woman. Her long blonde hair tied neatly behind her head. A pair of simple glasses were worn neatly. With each step Glynda took, she moved with elegance and grace. Before she promptly shoved a mug of steaming coffee into Ozpin's hands without another word.

Ozpin opened his eyes and furrowed his brow. "I was wondering where that went."

"Poor Professor Autumn was left not knowing where to find you. I figured you would be moping," she activated the holographic panel once more, showcasing two girls. One was petite, with snow-white hair and a similar beautifully pale complexion. The other was taller, hardened and focused. Red hair cascaded down her back and she held herself powerfully. "The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, and even the Junior Mistral Champion. I have a good feeling this year might be quite extraordinary."

Despite saying that, Glynda did not look impressed. Her chilling gaze lingered onto Ozpin as if challenging a response from the headmaster.

"Ah," Ozpin took a sip. "I take it this is about Ruby Rose?"

"You didn't consult anyone."

"I didn't think it was necessary at the time."

"An unknown _minor_ Ozpin," arms crossed, Glynda glared. "Think of Beacon's reputation, let alone the political ramifications."

"I have. And I did. You will have to trust me on this."

Glynda sighed. "For your sake Oz, I hope you are right about this."

* * *

"You know, I still can't get over the fact that you ditched me."

Yang chuckled at her sister's pouting face and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"My bad my bad. I won't do it again alright? But look on the bright side. You found two possible friends and one possible enemy."

"I don't want any enemies!"

"Pft," Yang waved her hand. "It just means you're getting to know people. You're always going to find people you don't like sis, and you're doing an awesome job."

An excited glee is present on the blondes face as she snuggled her sister.

" _Yang_ ," Ruby whined. "Please stop, everyone is looking over here."

"Who cares. Let them look," Yang ruffling her sister's head, grin still etched on her face. "They'll need to scope out the competition."

The two sisters were on an airship full of students ready to land and make their way to the stage of the exams. The two sisters could be considered polar opposites in appearance. Ruby was small for her age, thin and lanky; her pale skin as if she had never seen the sun, even wearing long black stockings to hide her pale skin. Nothing of bright colour (aside from red) was worn at all, complementing her natural dark hair and complexion.

Yang on the other hand stood tall and proud, long messy golden hair left unkempt. She wore a tan jacket, a pair of mini shorts exposing her long toned legs. Yellow gauntlet's donned her hands.

Ruby gave a half-hearted smile, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "There's no _competition_ to scope out, Yang."

"Hey," Yang reached forward to tilt Ruby's gaze towards hers. "Chin up, stand tall. This is your time to shine sis, and you got to own it. Just think, you pass this, and you'll be the first person in history to attend Beacon two years early! Everyone will think you're the bee's knees."

Ruby groaned. "I don't want to be the ' _bee's knees_ ' Yang. I don't want to be any kind of knees. I just want to be a normal girl, with normal knees."

"Come on sis, what's with that frown? Get excited!"

"Of course I'm excited Yang, this is so cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "But there's so much pressure. Like, what if I'm not good enough. What if I fail. What if I embarrass myself, then everyone will know who I am… I mean, I suppose they already do, but then they'll have another reason to pick on me—"

Ruby froze. She looked towards the packed room behind her, shying away from envious glares sent her way. Yang's turned around for a moment to glare back, before returning to her sister.

"Hey, listen to me Ruby," Yang gently squeezed her sister's shoulders. "Don't listen to them. Don't look at them. Don't even think of them. Treat them like they don't exist, because they don't matter. _I_ know for a fact, that you can kick their asses out there."

Ruby still didn't look convinced if her nervous shaking was anything to go by. "And how would you know Yang?"

Yang smirked. "Because I said so."

Ruby blanched. "That's not very convincing. And it doesn't get rid of the looks the others are giving me."

"Hey now," The blonde pinched her sister's cheek. "No one is going to give you problems. And even if anyone does, I'll break their knee caps for you."

Ruby slapped Yang's pinch away from her, much to the amusement of her sister. The younger sister still wasn't convinced.

"And if you ditch me again?"

The older girl shrugged nonchalantly. "Then _you_ have to be the one to break their knee caps."

" _Yang,"_ Ruby whined.

* * *

The first set of ships emerged from the clouds overhead, countless soon followed. Below is a field of tall grass, where the Professors of Beacon Academy stood silently, watching as the majestic Valeian ships descended from the skies above. The wind kicked up from the turbulence, that would have sent a normal man flying. But each Professor stood their ground as if it were merely a slight inconvenience of sorts.

The ships landed. The engines died down. Professor Ozpin stood in front of his cohort, leaned against his staff. His eyes gaze through everyone as his future potential students descended from the ships above.

"Welcome everyone, I pray that the flight here was alright?"

In the background, the sound of someone hurling could be heard. Ozpin silently motioned over for one of the health officials to go over.

A weak, "Thank you!", from Jaune sounded over the group of aspiring hunters.

Ozpin nodded, adjusting his scarf. "Now with that out of the way. I welcome each and every one of you."

His eyes gazed over the hundred or so teenagers. He did his best to hide his grin.

"Now then. The rules are simple," he struck his staff into the ground, and a large blue hologram appeared behind him, showcasing a map and scenic pictures of a forest. "The Emerald Forest is filled with creatures of Grimm, suitable for your skill level and enough to be a challenge. The exam will shortly begin, and when it does, you will all be on your own within the Emerald Forest. The first person you encounter will be your partner for the duration of the exam—"

"What!?" a certain dark-haired red hooded aspiring huntress felt her heart shatter.

"—then make your way into the forest and there, you will find a temple housing a relic. Return that relic to one of the Professors here and you will have completed the first step of your journey to becoming a hunter."

Ozpin paused and wave a single hand to the sky. Immediately, a spherical camera drone flew into the air, followed by a whole army of them. They each flew beyond the cliff and started spreading out around the forest.

"You have three days to complete this task. At all times this exam will be broadcasted all over the kingdom of Vale from start to finish. The professors will not be interfering, and thus you must survive on your own. And of course, it goes without saying that killing or seriously maiming another participant of the exams is strictly prohibited. And of course, with the limited amount of relics and spots in Beacon Academy… well, I do advise you stay aware of your surroundings at all times."

Ozpin stopped, taking a sip of his coffee. Everyone's eyes still trained on him. Silent. Unsure. Humoured. His sight found Ruby Rose within the crowd, and he lingered there for just a second longer than needed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"A word of advice," he said, his voice a lot softer and mellow. "Survive."

An uneasy silence washed over the crowd of examinees as Ozpin turned around and walked away. Glynda stepped forward, arms crossed and stealing the gaze of everyone there.

"Now then. Shall we begin?"

* * *

Ruby shivered, shaking the nervousness that slowly crept down her spine. Her stomach was full of butterflies as she stepped onto the launch platform. Yang took her place to the platform next to her, a confident smile on her face.

"Still nervous?" the blonde asked, gaze dead centred on the forest below.

"A bit," Ruby grumbled.

"Don't be. You'll do great," Yang reassured, playfully punching her sister's shoulder.

"I'm just worried I won't get you as a partner. What if I get someone like little miss princess?"

Yang thought for a bit, eyes raised to the sky. "You know, dad said something before to me. If you gotta work with someone that you don't like—"

"—then be the better person," Ruby finished. "I know."

Yang smiled. "Attagirl. You'll be just fine then."

Ruby nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She turned her head to the person on her right. Ruby blinked as Jaune waved nervously at her.

"You were next to me this whole time?" Ruby asked.

The boy drooped, face still a bit green from being sick. "I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you for asking."

Ruby took notice that his legs were also trembling. A worried frown appeared on her face.

"If it means anything, you're not the only one that is feeling nervous."

The boy shrugged nonchalantly. Or at least he tried, his forced smile was a dead giveaway. "Yeah, well, my dad always told me that being nervous is a good thing."

"Why's that?"

Jaune paused, scratching his chin in thought. "He said Grimm don't find it that tasty."

Ruby couldn't help the small grin that crept up onto her face. She giggled, shaking her head. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, well. Dads am I right?"

"Definitely."

They shared a small moment of laughter, before the first platform fired, flinging the examinee into the forest. They both swivelled their heads to the left.

"Looks like we're starting," Ruby said. "Got your landing strategy prepared?"

"Landing… what? We don't get parachutes?"

The girl giggled, finding that statement hilarious. Jaune though looked anything but. He was sweating profusely as realisation slowly kicked in. Ruby didn't realise though as she waited for her turn to be launched. She smacked her cheeks in concentration, psyching herself up.

"You can do this, just find Yang and it'll work out," she whispered under her breath. And since they were being flung of one after the other, it should be easy.

"Hey sis," Yang called out, interrupting her sister's thoughts. Ruby turned to look at Yang. The blonde gave a grin, slipping on a pair of sunglasses. "If we don't get partnered. Don't hold back on me, alright?"

The platform underneath Yang fired, and the blonde was launched into the air with a gleeful whoop.

"Wait! What's that supposed to mean?!" Ruby blanched before she too was fired right after.

"I think I just made a big mistake," Jaune mumbled before his platform launched him. A girlish high pitch scream escaped from his throat as he soared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for the response. It's nice to know that I'm not blindly going into the fandom (or at least I don't think so). Hopefully, this fic will turn out well as I got loads planned out for just Volume One.


	3. Episode 3: The Emerald Forest Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the Beacon exams...

**Episode Three: The Emerald Forest Part One**

The wind kicked up. The tree line grew ever closer. Ruby's eyes honed in on the Emerald Forest below. Adrenaline filled her system as she flew closer and closer towards the tree line, barely skimming past the very top. At the very last second, she drew Crescent Rose and extended it fully into its scythe form. Hooking its blade into the closest branch, Ruby looped herself over a few rounds to dissolve the momentum, before simply dropping to the ground in an acrobatic crouch.

Only then did she let out the breath she had been holding in.

"Keep calm Ruby," she told herself. "It's not the end of the world. You just have to find Yang before anyone else."

Taking in a deep breath, she immediately bolted deeper into the forest, leaving behind a trail of red petals.

"Yang!" Ruby called out for her sister at the top of her voice. "Yang!"

Tears comically pooled in her eyes at the thought of being partnered with anyone that wasn't Yang. Especially with that petty little princess.

And as if fate decided to find amusement in the young girl's torment, the trees rustled from above.

And Weiss Schnee emerged from within.

Both girls froze upon seeing each other. The wind whistled innocently past them as neither seemed adamant to move. Ruby blinked. Weiss blinked. Then the silver-haired girl promptly spun around on the spot and walked away.

Ruby paled as a sweat drop started to crawl down her face.

_'Maybe she... didn't see me?'_

* * *

' _I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"_

Above, Jaune flayed his limbs all over the place as he screamed at the top of his voice. Never before had he felt so close to dying literally flying centimetres away from instant death. He never stopped screaming the whole way.

Suddenly he felt his body propelled in another direction, the sudden movement silencing him for a split second. He came to an abrupt stop, hovering far above the ground. Jaune groaned, and promptly lost his lunch; his head ringing and his vision growing dizzy.

Down below, he saw a blurry figure in white appear before him. The person that saved him?

"A-Are you… an angel?" he asked slowly, before promptly fainting on the spot. His body sagged and hung from the tree like a potato sack. Not really his best moment.

Down below Weiss wrinkled her nose in disgust. Whether it was at the delirious question or the fact that the boy had lost his lunch in front of her, it was safe to say Weiss was not amused in the slightest.

She heard someone drop down behind her. Weiss' ear perked up at the obviously heavy landing. Whoever it was wanted to make sure she was heard.

"Weiss Schnee I take it?"

The Schnee heiress spun around, hand ready to draw her rapier. Standing before her was a beautiful red-haired girl. More than a head taller than herself, the newcomer's emerald eyes bore into hers curiously.

"Pyrrha Nikos?" Weiss asked, a smile gracing her lips. She let her hand fall off her blade, as she reached forward to shake hands. "I've heard many things about you. I'm a huge fan."

"I uh... Thank you I guess," Pyrrha replied, a forced smile on her face; uncomfortable by the sudden praise. She accepted the handshake though as she wasn't one for being rude.

"I heard you were taking the exams as well," Pyrrha brought her hand back to her side. "It was quite a hot topic in Atlas if I recalled."

"I suppose it was," Weiss grinned charmingly, curtsying. "It's almost like fate that we are to be partner's no? I'm sure that with our combined strengths we can overcome anything together."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed slightly, eyes travelling up to the unconscious boy hanging from the tree. She didn't lose her grin though. "It's funny you talk about fate. Because I must apologise. You might have seen me first, but I already made eye contact with the boy up there. You'll have to find a different partner."

Weiss frowned. She was obviously disappointed. "You did? And with... _him_ at that?"

Pyrrha nodded.

Weiss looked downtrodden as she nodded. "I see. I'll best be on my way then."

The Schnee heiress curtsied once again respectfully, before marching past the taller girl. She frowned as she past Pyrrha. The red-haired girl didn't flinch nor look disappointed, instead opting to simply stroll up to the unconscious boy. Checking once more to see if Weiss was gone, she opened up her hand towards Jaune.

She shook her head solemnly. "The only fates we unfortunately have are the ones we are foolish enough to give ourselves."

Her spear flew to her hand; letting Jaune fall right into her arms.

* * *

Years of growing up in the countryside and hunting wildlife in the mountains with her father had honed Ruby's skills. Her ears perked up. Eyes scanning into the trees. The leaves danced with the breeze, and for a split second all was still. There was no wildlife to be heard.

Ruby drew Crescent Rose as the first Grimm leapt from the bushes in a wild attempt to strike her. The weapon whirred to life as the scythe blade spun out and caught the wolf-like Grimm mid-leap, smacking it down to the ground. It skittered back, howling as it drew back on its hind legs.

Nearly twice as tall as the average man, eyes of blood red and skin oozing of darkness and bone.

A Beowulf stood before Ruby.

It charged forward once more, but Ruby rushed forward to meet it. She ducked under the wild strike, flipping and striking it with her foot. Knocking it into the air, the young girl lept upwards, spinning with deadly force as her blade beheaded the Beowulf in a single strike.

The decapitated body fell to the ground as did the young girl. She landed on her feet lightly, her eyes hardened and unnaturally serious. Beowulf's were a common type of Grimm, a vast number of them still run amok in the wild outside the kingdom. And because of their sheer number, they were known to travel in packs.

So finding one on its own was unnerving.

Ruby's eyes narrowed on the corpse, hand moving out to feel around the black fur. And she soon found her answer with deep gashed wounds. It had been running from something.

Suddenly, there was a whirling sound from the trees. Ruby didn't have time to identify what it was as she turned to the direction of an axe flying towards her face. She barely managed to raise her scythe in time, barely deflecting the axe as its force sent her sliding backwards a couple of feet.

"Well well," a voice called out from the trees. "Someone already got killed the straggler. And it's a girl at that."

Two large boys walked out from the trees. The one in front raised a gloved hand and the axe flew back to him. He wielded two hand axes like the one he just threw, a cocky smirk on his face. The other boy stayed behind him, eyes focussed entirely on Ruby. A large crossbow was on his back that he hadn't bothered to draw yet.

"A little on the young side no?" the first boy said. "Got lost? Or are you part of the exams?"

"Of course I'm part of the exams," Ruby bit back, slightly miffed that she was assumed anything but. Crescent Rose was readied behind her.

"Hah, that so? Haven't found a partner yet?"

The boy made sure to mockingly look around the clearing. "Pity. Well, gotta lower the competition at any rate. Sorry girlie. No hard feelings."

He pushed off from the ground quickly, closing the distance between them in a blink of an eye. Ruby's eyes widened as she darted back. The hand axes barely swung past her head as Ruby tripped backwards. The boy continued his onslaught, like a madman with axes.

Pity he didn't expect a flutter of rose petals to suddenly erupt in his face, as Ruby's foot buried itself in his face.

"She has a goddamn semblance?!"

He reeled back in surprise, and Ruby went on the offensive. She twirled Crescent Rose and attacked. High, then a low sweep with her leg, before another spin to bring down her scythe from above. She attacked hard, and she attacked fast, knowing that the boy's handaxes held the advantage in speed. But with each burst of rose petals, Ruby pushed her semblance into overtime as she knew she had to finish this fight quickly. She forced the axe boy to leap back and regain his footing. He clearly looked angered now.

"Oh, now you've done it."

He leapt forward once more, and this time Ruby was ready. She met him dead on, they traded blows evenly. Ruby kept her distance, relying on her extended range with her scythe, whereas the boy kept light on his toes, weaving in and out of range trying to get a good hit in. She blurred back and forth, sprew more petals as she got quicker and quicker.

A few strikes landed on the boy, his green aura faintly humming each time. Ruby's as well, as she felt her red aura be struck multiple times, though evidently not as much as her opponent.

Her eyes narrowed on the boy as she receded back, waiting for the boy to charge in once more. But he didn't, as if waiting for something. Ruby eyes widened as she realised her mistake, just as the crossbow bolt fired from the boy's companion. It struck her aura, falling harmlessly to the ground. But the impact sent her reeling backwards along the ground.

Her aura shields fizzled but were still up. But the impact caused the air to rush from her lungs. If she were to guess, she was confident that she could stand another bolt or two at most before her shields broke.

Not a good sign in a two on one situation.

The boy charged forward once more and Ruby snapped back to attention, forced onto the defensive. She waited for an opening, hoping that her reckless opponent would give way. And he did. He swung too wide, and Ruby closed in under the swing to strike.

But was forced to reel back as a bolt nearly struck her once more.

She flipped backwards, nimbly starting to retreat into the tree line above; but her axe-wielding opponent was hot on her heels, slicing through the tree. Down the tree fell and with it, Ruby as well. She panicked as her hood snagged on the tree branch and they both plummeted. The large tree completely crushing her.

Ruby groaned.

Definitely not a good situation as she felt the last bits of her shielding disappear entirely.

"Ayy, shields down," the axe boy stated as he landed in front of her. "Don't worry. I'm sure a professor will be arriving soon to pick up your unconscious body."

He moved to knock out the young girl with the pummel of his axe. Only to freeze as the air around him thickened. Within a split second, a wisp of fog appeared in the air around him. Then he felt his world turn to white as the cold encased him in ice.

"I-Ice?"

The other boy's eyes widened in fright as he aimed his crossbow upwards into the tree. Ruby followed his gaze, only to see a familiar figure in white standing defiantly above them.

"I leave you for barely a minute and you're already in such a sorry state," she sneered.

The Schnee heiress' rapier gleamed deadly in the sunlight as she leapt off towards the ground. The last standing boy quickly aimed his crossbow, a current of electricity radiated of the metal bolt as he fired.

"Look out!" Ruby warned.

As Weiss touched the ground, the crossbow bolt just barely a metre away from her face; the forest floor erupted into a glowing white sigil just beneath Weiss' foot. Ruby could barely keep up with her movement as another manipulative force moved the Schnee heiress to the side, before flinging her towards her opponent.

She closed the distance within a blink of an eye, blade drawn and ready to strike her opponent. The boy panicked and tried to leap back as the blade touched his arm. Both he and Ruby had expected his aura shields to protect him, but the blade didn't even register.

The boy yelled as he dropped his bow, clutching his bleeding arm.

"H-How?"

He didn't get an answer as Weiss' heel struck his face, knocking him to the ground. She then proceeded to break the last shards of his shields with her foot, before she pummelled him across the temple with her hilt; knocking him unconscious.

Once done, she reached into a pouch on her waist, pulling out a handkerchief. She then proceeded to wipe off the boy's blood of her rapier, a look of disgust on her face.

Weiss spun around on the spot and marched up to Ruby, who had just managed to clear the forestry of herself. The younger girl looked up and forced a smile on her face.

"That was a close one," she grinned. "Thanks."

"Hpmh," Weiss marched past Ruby, purposely butting shoulders.

"Hey," Ruby called out, but the Schnee heiress simply ignored her as she began the trek deeper into the forest.

Ruby ran after her. "At least say something? I said thank you, so the least you could do is react to that."

Weiss stopped. "If you were as talented as you made yourself out to be, you would have never been in that situation, to begin with."

Ruby reared back, her jaw tightened. "What?"

"I said—"

"I heard what you said," Ruby seethed. "I just don't get what's so up with you. Is this because of yesterday? Because I can apologies so many more times if—"

"Don't interrupt me!"

"You just interrupted me!"

"I was trying to get a point across!"

"Yeah? So was I!"

"You insufferable, little—"

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them once more and glared, her fists slowly unravelling. Taking in another deep breath, she looked at Ruby and forced a smile.

" _Your welcome_. There. Are you happy now?"

Ruby didn't say anything. Neither girl said anything. As the uncomfortable silence washed over the two of them, Ruby found her gaze going to the forest floor, hand clutching her arm nervously.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that," she said truthfully, letting her shoulders sag.

Weiss' eyes narrowed but didn't say anything. She turned around and walked off, not bothering to acknowledge Ruby. And the young girl, with nothing else to do, followed silently.

* * *

Weiss sneezed.

"Bless you."

Weiss then proceeded to roll her eyes. They had been trekking for hours, the sun falling towards the west. It was still relatively bright though, and if she had judged it, Weiss would guess it was about 4:00 in the afternoon.

Four hours and she was starting to feel the thirst at the back of her throat. The two girls sat down by a rock, Weiss poised with a straight back while Ruby unceremoniously laid onto her back.

"Hey, you have any water on you?" Ruby asked, throat feeling parched.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "We weren't supposed to bring anything except our weapons. It's a test of our survival skills."

"Oh… that makes a little more sense I suppose."

"We keep travelling south," Weiss rolled her eyes, ignoring her. She pointed past the tree line and towards the slight descent of a valley. "If there are any streams or rivers, it'll be most likely flow towards the lowest part of the topography. I estimate we should be able to reach it in another half an hour or so."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, that makes sense."

In reality, Ruby wasn't following. Weiss just ignored her and continued. "We can follow any rivers or streams further inwards as well. So it's a favourable situation either way."

"Wait. You can't just assume we can follow a river."

"Yes we can," Weiss crossed her arms and faced Ruby. "The exams rules stated that we're finding relics. Relics needed to be stored or kept somewhere, and since the Emerald Forest _used_ to be habitable; I would hardly doubt that the Vale Council would build a new storage facility just for an exam once a year. Meaning, the relics are most likely stored in already built buildings. _Meaning_ , they needed to have originally been built near sources of water so the previous inhabitants could thrive. Make sense?"

"… Kinda?"

"Oh for cryi— why do I bother?"

Weiss spun around and marched off. Above, a flock of birds flew by, tweeting as they flew more eastwards than south. Ruby's eyes widened dramatically in realisation.

"Wait!" Ruby rushed to her feet, running after Weiss.

"What?" Weiss snapped.

"That's a flock of King Fishers," the younger girl said ecstatically, pointing towards the birds that disappeared over the tree line.

Weiss paused. "And?"

"W-Well uh… there's a lot of them near my home. I used to see a lot of them when I went hunting with my father. But I know that they primarily eat fish. They build their nests near large bodies of water and rarely leave their food source!"

The Schnee heiress' eyes widened. She brought a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"You're sure?"

"Positive!"

Weiss thought for a bit longer, eyeing southwards towards the valley dip, then back towards Ruby's confident sparkling eyes.

"Alright," the white-haired girl sighed heavily in defeat. "I'm telling you this now, but if you're wrong—"

"Then you'll hate me. I know. You kinda already do anyway so it's fine."

Weiss growled, but let Ruby cheerfully led the way through the trees.

* * *

When Jaune opened his eyes, the first thing he sees is a warm campfire bleeding through the afternoon sky. He screamed, shuffling back at the abruptness of it, scooting back until he felt his back slam against a stone wall.

"Ow," he groaned, nursing his back.

"Are you alright?"

Jaune nearly leapt out of his skin as a calming hand touched his shoulder. Though another was wrapped tightly around his mouth, followed by a 'shhh'.

"You've slept through the day," Pyrrha stated, removing her hand from his mouth. "And if we are to get through this exam, you need to not draw attention to yourself."

Jaune's chest rose and fell sharply as he looked at the red-haired girl before him. She was tall, around his height and maybe even taller. Her long red hair was soaking wet as the girl dried it by the fire. In fact, she was soaked from head to toe from the looks of it.

He then looked towards their surroundings. He was in a small cave opening on top of a small cliff looking over a valley. The open fire that Pyrrha had started was hidden by the foliage of leaves she had gathered to pile near the cave entrance.

Pyrrha watched as Jaune took this in slowly, and surely his shoulders started to relax, his breathing going back to normal. And so she sat back down on the other side of the fire.

"Here," she said, picking up some of the skewered fish by the fire and offering it to the boy. "You must be starving by now."

Jaune looked at the offering. Then at Pyrrha. Then back towards the fish. He gulped, before reaching and out gently plucking a couple out of her grasp.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem," Pyrrha smiled. "It's good that you're awake. I was worried I'll have to not sleep tonight."

Jaune looked confused as Pyrrha neatly sat down by the fire, legs crossed.

"Why wouldn't you sleep tonight?" he asked.

"Someone has to take watch. Or else you're just asking to get ambushed."

"Oh," Jaune's cheeks reddened at the obviousness of it. "Right! Of course, I was just… t-testing you, ahaha."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, before biting into his fish. Pyrrha calmly nodded and started biting into her portion.

"So, you're my partner I'm guessing?" he asked curiously, mouth full.

Pyrrha raised a questioning eyebrow at that. Jaune's cheeks reddened even further. He swallowed. "I mean, I couldn't be sure. For all I know, you could be tricking me for some reason; maybe to get a glimpse of my killer moves and whatnot."

Pyrrha still didn't say anything, confused written all over her face.

"Sorry, I tend to babble when nervous."

"Oh. No," Pyrrha finally said as she raised a hand, looking away slightly. "It's fine. I understand. I uh… I would be doing the same thing in your shoes."

"Wait, really?"

"Mhmn," Pyrrha lied, before biting back to her fish.

"Oh right, nearly forgot," Jaune put down his skewer before offering his hand. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

"Pyrrha Nikos," Pyrrha returned the handshake. And she waited for the boy's reaction.

"Nice to meet you," Jaune said cheerfully. "I'm glad my partner is someone with manners."

Pyrrha paused.

"Do you… not know who I am?" she asked carefully.

Jaune blinked. "Uhh… Pyrrha Nikos?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"Uhh… should I know you?" Jaune asked carefully. "I don't owe you money or something right?"

"No no no," Pyrrha reassured, erratically waving her hands in defiance. "Of course not, no. I'm uh… no one you should know."

She smiled charmingly, brushing back a strand of wet hair behind her ear. "So, I take it you're new to Vale?"

Jaune's face faulted as he groaned. "Is it that obvious?"

"It was just a guess," Pyrrha said reassuringly. "It's not a bad thing you know… not growing up in the city."

"You wouldn't say that if you were from Domrey."

"And why is that?"

"It's literally the middle of nowhere. It's just, farms on the right. Farms on the left. Endless fields of edible grass; and well, that's not the kinda lifestyle anyone is into thank you very much. There's nothing there but old farts, boring people, and animals. It's so boring the Grimm don't even want to go anywhere near there."

"Is that so?" Pyrrha smiled. A small giggle escaped her lips as she rested her head in her hand.

"Well, yeah. It's why I left. Nothing to do but the same thing over and over again."

A brief silence washed over the two before Pyrrha opened her mouth. "It sounds peaceful though."

Jaune blinked. Then he shrugged. "I suppose."

"I might go there one day then. It sounds like a nice place."

Jaune blanched, and Pyrrha giggled at his reaction, hand politely over mouth. The two shared a laugh and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon.

That was until a large shadow loomed from above.

"Get down!" Pyrrha shouted, grabbing Jaune and pulling him to the ground. With her foot, she kicked out the fire. Her eyes were wide as up above, a large bird-like Grimm flew.

Her jaw was slacked as she took in the sight of it. Jaune, even more so as his mouth was wide open.

"W-What is that?" he dared to ask.

"A Nevermore," Pyrrha stated. "Though I have never seen one so large."

The Nevermore screeched, the air shuddered in response. She watched as the beast started to descend onto the forest down below. From afar, some shouts of panic could be heard as the giant Grimm landed. The whole earth shook from its weight, and for a split second; deathly silence followed. Then the screams happened.

"T-The professors know about that right?"

Pyrrha paled. "I don't think so. They had stated that the Emerald Forest was full of Grimm to suit our skill level."

"Okay. Sooo… I'm assuming that thing isn't supposed to be here then."

"You would be right. They're more commonly found past Fort Glenn up north. For one to have descended from the mountain ranges that would mean…"

They watched as the Nevermore turned its head, it's large red eye staring in their direction. Both teenagers froze. A deadly silence past between the two. Jaune's breath quickened and became hagged. Sweat pooled down his face as he gulped slowly.

"It's… not looking at us... right?"

"Jaune. Take a deep breath," Pyrrha instructed soothingly, eyes never leaving the large crowlike Grimm. "Nice and easy. It won't notice us."

Jaune tried to do so but to no avail. His heart quickened as he watched the Nevermore's wings start to take off.

"Jaune," Pyrrha hissed. "Calm down. It'll sense your fear if you don't."

"I'm trying!" he squeaked, his heart thundering in his chest.

He couldn't help but panic as the Nevermore finally rose into the sky. And in one fell swoop… Pyrrha punched Jaune in the face. The boy simply crumbled to the floor; unconscious. Pyrrha blinked. She looked at her hand. Then back at the unconscious boy, confusion evident on her face.

Within the distance, the Nevermore searched its surroundings, it's beady eyes trying to search for the scent of fear it had previously sensed. Not able to locate it, it simply flew off back into the air and away.

* * *

"It's a waterhole!" Ruby called back as she peered over the cliff. "Over here, Weiss!"

The Schnee heiress sauntered over, arms crossed as she peered down. "Well, it appears you were right."

"I know right!" Ruby said excitedly as she looked around the area. "Let's see… Where's a good place to climb down?"

Together the girls scaled their way down to the bottom, touching down on the moist ground. Ruby happily ran towards the clean water, and using her hands began to quench her thirst. Weiss did so too… but with more tact.

"This might be a good place to set up camp," Ruby said after a while. "It's still only the first day. We still have tomorrow and the day after."

She peered into the water to see some fish swimming about. She took note of it for later. It was a good spot. Cosy, with even a large cave in the rock wall that surrounded the water.

Weiss thought over Ruby's suggestion. It was sound. There wasn't going to be a guarantee that there could be another spot further into the forests. She then looked towards the sky, seeing that it was still bright.

"We might not find such a place down the line," Ruby continued.

"I know that," Weiss snapped.

The younger girl flinched and Weiss sighed. "Look. Let's just get a fire going, alright?"

They got the fire going. Both girls washed up in the waterhole, the other keeping guard at all times. By the time they had finished securing the area, the night was just starting to pool in. Within the distance, the sound of multiple Beowulf's howling could be heard.

"Nice night huh?" Ruby said, crossing her arms around the back of her head. She looked up towards the starry night sky, basking in its light.

Weiss didn't say anything.

"You know, you could say something," Ruby urged, rolling over. She propped her head in hand as she gave a beaming smile.

"Do you normally talk this much?"

"Not really," Ruby replied. "I don't really talk to many people period."

Weiss snorted. "I can see why."

The younger of the two pouted. "I take it you don't interact with people often either?"

Weiss rolled over. "For your information, I have a vast amount of friends willing to talk to me about anything."

"You could have fooled me."

"Y-You—"

Weiss growled, rolling back onto her back in frustration. Ruby snickered playfully.

"Get that stupid grin off your face," the Schnee heiress finally muttered.

Ruby blinked owlishly, but her smile never dropped. "What grin?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

"The one plastered across your stupid face."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. You… look, I don't even know why you are so insistent of being sappy around me. You were plenty annoyed yesterday to the point you drew your _weapon_ on me in case you forgot."

"I suppose I did," Ruby sheepishly looked away.

"Yet you're so adamant to get on my good side all of a sudden? What happened to all that? Where's your pride?"

Ruby shrugged nonchalantly. "Why did you come back to me?"

The white-haired girl grew silent. Ruby pushed forward.

"You… you could have just ditched me and found a better partner. I would have already been eliminated. But you didn't. You came back despite not liking me."

Nothing else was said. The only sound was the cracking of ember on the small campfire and the whimsical wisp of the night air.

"I-I… don't overlook things that aren't there," Weiss warned. "I came back on my own accord because I saw the potential incompetence in a new partner. You said yourself that you were invited to take the exams early, so if that's not a testament to your skill; then it was at least a safe bet for a stable choice of partner. But don't get me wrong here—"

She rolled over to glare at Ruby. " _I'm_ passing this exam, with or without your help. And as long as you don't drag me down, I'm fine with you tagging along. But once this exam is done and over with, I don't want to see you ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Silver eyes stared back into pale blue eyes.

"Crystal."

"Good."

Weiss laid back down on the soft ground, looking back towards the sky. She closed her eyes and let herself sink back into the darkness. It welcomed her, and it felt… peaceful. The silence was intoxicating as the young heiress allowed herself to slowly give her consciousness away.

"So is your rapier made of illurium?" Ruby suddenly piped up.

"Oh for… I'm taking the first watch!" Weiss snapped back up, slamming her hand on the ground. She glared once more at the younger girl before she rose to her feet and stomped off towards the lake.

* * *

Glynda peered at her holographic scroll, watching one of the cameras fizzle out once more on screen. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she marched up to Ozpin who was casually nursing another cup of coffee in his hand.

"Oz we—"

He held up a finger politely, taking a very large sip of steaming coffee. The seconds ticked by before he put it back down and let out an exasperated relaxing breath.

"I apologise," he said. "Go on."

" _Professor_ Ozpin," she emphasised. Ozpin's eyes narrowed, his goofy expression hardened.

She flicked the holographic screen from her scroll and outwards, a hovering display emerged to showcase some footage. The camera drone was just below the treeline, showcasing a bunch of the examinees in combat with beowulf's as well as each other. It was normal, and Ozpin was confused until seconds later the ground began to shake and a shadow covered the whole area. The trees rustled and an inhuman screech filled the air.

The screen then fizzled out. The drone had been destroyed.

"Which sector?"

"Southwards. More cameras are going out as well, but it stopped just along the ravine."

Ozpin turned to face one of the exam officials. "You there. Gather what we have, and ask the Council to lend a hand. I have a feeling we'll need at least a few contracted huntsmen."

The official nodded and took off. Glynda flicked the display back into her scroll screen.

"If we leave immediately afterwards, how long will it take to get there by airship?"

"An hour."

Well, that was not good. Ozpin tapped his cane in thought. Looks like he won't be sleeping tonight at all.

"Professor! Professor Ozpin!"

The official ran back only a minute later, breath haggard and chest-pounding. Ozpin looked towards Glynda, whose face could only be described as awaiting dreadful news. Could the night get any worse?

"What is it?" Ozpin asked calmly.

"The fuel cells have been tampered with sir! None of the airships are operational, and communications have been cut off!"

"What?" Glynda exclaimed.

Both professors looked at each other, the same thought passed through their mind.

Someone was sabotaging the exams.

* * *

Weiss stood on the shore of the lake, arms crossed defiantly as she looked towards the night sky. The breeze was gentle and soothing to touch. A nagging thought pulled at her mind to which she tried to ignore. But to no avail.

_Why did you come back to me?_

She seethed, letting out a slow breath.

 _'Don't lose focus, and keep your eyes peeled,'_ she told herself. No point getting worked up about the naivety of a child. At least they won't have to interact once this exam was done.

Weiss forced herself to not think about the slumbering younger girl, who was currently blissfully snoring away by the campfire. The Schnee heiress rolled her shoulder, sore from standing for a couple of hours already. She went back to the campfire to sit down, dusting off the ground so her skirt wouldn't get too dirty. She brought her knees to her chest and waited.

Her eyes roamed the waterhole they had luckily managed to find… no, it was the insufferable girl that found it… actually now that she thought about it, she didn't even _know_ the young girl's name.

Not that it mattered, of course. But just the thought of calling her _you_ sounded quite tiring.

She chuckled warmly to herself. Then immediately scolded herself for doing so. She was a Schnee. Heir to the largest elemental dust corporation the world had ever seen. And she too would have her name in history as well just like all Schnees before herself.

Such was the life she was born into.

How childish indeed. But she didn't hide it like most other things. She shook her head of her warm smile and looked back to the lake once more.

It was a pity too, that only seconds later did the large shadow of the Nevermore descend into its new nesting grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8/12/20: Yeah, someone pointed out that the relationship hinted at between chapter one and two was a bit confusing. Went a cleared it up a bit in the story, and sorry for the confusion. It's not that Ruby and Yang 'don't get along', it's 'they haven't seen each other in five years', and Ruby is nervous about Yang's reaction upon suddenly meeting again. I was going with the approach to have Ruby as more insecure and I wanted to slowly build up her confidence socially throughout the story.


	4. Sorry

**9/12/2020**

I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore. I started writing fanfiction to improve my writing skills, and it's honestly getting taxing trying to balance life and writing fics. I want to write original stories, with original characters. Some people would have noticed this by my lack of updates and my procrastination.

While this has been an amazing platform to practise my writing abilities, knowing that I have to update to those that read my stories makes me feel guilty because I write fics on a whim. Never do I _really_ write down a plan, beta, or edit my work, and never do I really prioritise it in life. I just write when I feel like it. And with me moving on in life, I find myself unable to continuously and systematically write fanfics specifically. I almost never finish fanfics because of this.

I apologise because I can't help but feel guilty, because while this is _practise_ to me. It's enjoyment to those that do enjoy my fics. And I feel like that's just rude to my audience.

So I'm going to take quite a long break and think things through.

Sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> Been trying to write a novel this month NaNoWriMo. Decided to take a break and try to experiment with a different writing style. It's a bit episodic, and seeing as I wanted to write a RWBY fic for some time now; thought it would be the best fandom to try writing for. Though I heard that the community is extremely toxic when it comes to rewrites? So apologies in advance as I meant no offence. This is just me having a bit of fun with a slight AU. I promise to try and remain to the same story as much as possible, but I am definitely going to make additions and changes just to spice it up a bit. See you next chapter XD.


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